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11.28.11

Syracuse Struggles to Contain Sex-Abuse Scandal

A tape of basketball coach Bernie Fine's wife admitting to knowing about her husband's alleged sex abuse has gone public, as the university struggles to prevent another storm like Penn State. Read the latest and listen to the audio here.

Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor is trying hard to not let the school’s latest sex abuse scandal turn into another Penn State storm. “We do not tolerate abuse,” Cantor said after announcing the firing of Bernie Fine, the school’s assistant basketball coach accused of molesting at least three men when they were boys. “If anything good comes out of this tragedy, it will be that this basic principle is reinforced,” she said, as head coach Jim Boeheim also expressed regret, saying “I’m not Joe Paterno,” referring to the football coach of Penn State who was fired in shame. The scandal took an ugly turn Sunday when an audio tape between Fine's wife, Laurie, and an accuser became public.

Syracuse University fired assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine Sunday. The news comes after a third accuser came forward to the police to allege Fine of sexually abusing him as a child and an audio tape between Fine's wife and an accuser became public. Zach Tomaselli, a 23-year-old from Lewiston, Maine, said Fine molested him in 2002 in a Pittsburgh hotel room when he was only 13 years old. Tomaselli himself is facing sexual-assault charges in Maine involving a 14-year-old boy. The recording, which has reportedly been with ESPN and the police for 10 years, shows Laurie Fine acknowledging that she knew of her husband's actions and that she slept with an accuser after he turned 18. Fine was placed on administrative leave two weeks ago after police said he was being investigated on molestation charges, and officers searched his home on Friday.